Post-Game Quotes
12/15/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 15, 2007
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State Head Coach Tom Izzo
Opening comments... I was very pleased with the way we started out, and I thought we moved the ball well and did some things to get Drew [Neitzel] some shots. We got the ball inside and got off to a pretty good start, and then about that seven- or eight-minute mark in the first half, we proved that we're not a mature enough to yet to handle things. We gave up two or three threes in a row and we made some back-to-back bone-headed plays, to be honest with you. Some complete lapses mentally, and good teams will capitalize.
On the Mastodons' play... It was a tough game for them because our size, I think, bothered them. I think they're short a big guy. I love their guards; I think [Ben] Botts is going to be a very good player for them; I like [DeWitt] Scott and [Demetrius] Johnson. I think they've got some very good players for their level and their league. And I think that is going to be a good team in their league. Dane [Fife] did a good job of switching up and doing some things.
On Michigan State letting IPFW claw back into the game... Where I think you have to be disappointed in us is not taking care of business and figuring out that when you have a team down, you have to put them away. You have to give IPFW credit because we had them down, and they cut it back to three or four in the second half. And that's a great credit to him and what he did at halftime.
On the game's positive moments... So, I was pleased at some times. I think Drew [Neitzel] shot the ball better. I still think he's passing up some shots. We just can't seem to get everybody going at one time here. One guy has a good part and one guy is bad. But Kalin Lucas played much, much better. I really thought Travis [Walton] did a good job, even with the four turnovers, because some of the times it was our wings not going after the ball.
Overall thoughts... We have a long way to go. We don't know how to put teams away yet, but I think some of that blame has to be a credit to IPFW, on the job they did. Still coming off finals, I thought we were pretty ready to play. I thought we executed pretty well at times. We just missed a lot of layups, and that part was disappointing.
IPFW Head Coach Dane Fife
Opening comments... I thought we did a nice job executing our game plan for the most part. We crept back in it in the second half and I think they had their starting five in there. We had to make a stop and we didn't, and I think it snowballed from there. Michigan State is a an unbelievable basketball team and I don't want to disrespect any of coach Izzo's teams, but in my opinion, this is probably one of the best teams he has had since the Mateen Cleaves and Mo Peterson years. Like I said I don't want to disrespect any of the other Final Four teams, but I just really like this team and how they compete. They may not have the talent that the other teams had, but this is just a really good basketball team. I give our guys credit though because they came out and fought until the end. There are some discrepancies here, we shot 11 free throws, and they shot 25, so they did a better job of getting to the foul line. Of course, the stat you always have to look at is rebounds, and the law of averages came true tonight, they got us by 11. You look at why teams beat us and the stat sheets don't lie.
On what he likes about Michigan State's personnel... The thing I like about Michigan State and the Michigan State system is their players improve every year. When we shook hands at the end of the game, I asked him, which I always do, what the antidote is. He always says call me next week, so I'll call him and I want to talk about his team and he always wants to talk about my team. That's just kind of the humble guy he is, he wants to know how I'm doing, he doesn't want to talk about himself. Like I said, I think they have great chemistry. They have Walton who is kind of like Cleaves. They have Neitzel, and he can do so many good things for that team. Then you look at the Ford F150s that they have up front in Suton, Naymick, Gray, Ibok, and then you bring in Herzog. Raymar Morgan is as big as our center Jauran Burrows. They have great size and those guys compete, and I know coach Izzo is pushing them to compete harder and harder. I give our guys a lot of credit. Last year, Coach Izzo approached me after our game and asked what happened to this team and I said, `Coach, you got better, it's not my team.' I'm proud of our guys, that's the bottom line. We just need to execute better and it's hard against a team like this. I think it was a good experience for us.
On what Michigan State did to take Demetrius Johnson out of the game... I thought they did a heck of a job taking him out of the game. Not to make excuses, but Demetrius is playing with an injury to his hand, but by no means is that an excuse. He is a senior and he's expected to come out and lead our team. I thought he gave the effort, but he was just not effective tonight. So we have to go back and make sure we incorporate him and get his confidence back because we turn around and play Marquette on Monday and Kent State on Thursday. Demetrius will bounce back, he's a good kid and he works hard, and I know he wants to win.
